The Coat of Arms, Issue 45.3

The Coat of Arms The Coat of Arms

Spring Brings Potential Changes to End-of-Year Celebrations

by CRYSTAL BAI

For the past five years, part of the Menlo Upper School graduation celebration has been the senior show: a performance with a theme that aims for 100% senior participation. This year, a committee of students, parents and faculty, organized by Dean of Students Tony Lapolla, are discussing making changes to the senior’s end-of-year celebrations, including the show.

“With [former teacher and Head Football Coach] Mark Newton leaving, who used to be in charge of producing the senior show, there was an opportunity to re-look at what we’re doing at the end of the year for seniors and what we want to do with the senior show in particular,” said Dean of Student Life Cathy Chen, a member of the committee.

“There has also been a lot of feedback over the years from both students and parents about the costs and benefits of the show.”

The senior celebration has only recently become the senior show. According to Chen, the show was originally a

OPINIONS

ARTS & LIFESTYLE

How do College Performing

by KATE HAMMOND

While many seniors are applying into academic majors for college, some have decided to continue their passion in a different field by applying as an arts major. Applying as an arts major includes the normal application process for the college, but requires

extra essays, videos and auditions to get into the specific program. Leighton Shiveley is applying for dance, Braedon Young and Jordan Gold for musical theatre and Beth Sanford for acting.

“The first difference between an arts major and an academic major is [that] there are a lot of writing supplements in addition to

the common application and the general application for the school,” Gold said. “You usually have to write a few essays on why you want to pursue the art major and why you want to do it at the specific school.”

In addition to the essays and extra questions, some schools require pre-screening before an applicant gets invited to a live audition. This includes videos of the student’s

monologues, songs or dances. “If I pass my pre-screen, they invite me to audition and apply to the school. [For] most schools with prescreens, you pass or do not pass the test. If you don’t pass, you do not get a live audition and cannot go into the school of theatre, but you can still get in [to the school] academically,” Sanford said.

Continued on page 2 Continued

Progress Since Parkland: One Year Later,

by ADLEY VOGEL

It’s been almost a year since the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting spurred America’s youth to take action against gun violence. Led by a new, highly politicized group of young activists, schools across the nation, including Menlo, held walkouts and rallies that garnered national attention for both their scale and brutally simple message: enough is enough; kids are more important than guns. The movements marched on

Washington and on state capitals. They petitioned lawmakers for meaningful, effective reform and engaged in public discourse in a way that made it seem like they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. The intensity of the movement made it seem like this time it would be different.

But then, mere months after these movements began, they vanished from national headlines. Organizations such as March For Our Lives still exist to push for gun leg-

conversation isn't nearly as powerful now as it was in March 2018.

During that time, the gun control conversation on campuses was amplified like never before, and it seemed like nearly the entire nation was behind the idea of some form of gun regulation. This belief was true, to an extent.

Two days after the Parkland shooting, Quinnipiac University conducted a four-day survey of nearly 1300 gun-owning households. Those who agreed to take the

support or oppose requiring background checks for all gun buyers?” to which 97% answered in support of universal background checks.

A similar survey was conducted by the Pew Research Center in October 2018 and found that 91% of Democrats and 79% of Republicans were in favor of background checks at gun shows and as a part of private sales. Dozens of similar studies were conducted before the Parkland shooting, and many more were conducted after, all pointing to similar conclusions.

There is clear bipartisan sup-

port all across America for this kind of protective legislation, and at a state level this support has turned into action in a significant number of cases. Since the Parkland shooting, 26 states passed a combined total of 69 restrictions on the ownership and sale of guns and have begun to regulate the types of peripherals and accessories that are legal to own. Bump stocks, which effectively turn a single shot,

Upper School Winter Play: "The Old Man and the Old Moon"

The winter production runs Feb. 8, 9 and 10. Buy your tickets online or at the bookstore.

First Try at New Finals Policy Sees Both Success and Strife

by CRYSTAL BAI

December at Menlo used to involve two weeks of work and studying to wrap up the second quarter, followed by one week of finals. During this hectic time period, a lot of bookstore hot chocolate was consumed, and a lot of students felt the stress of having a cumulative exam in every academic class.

Last December was the first time that Menlo implemented a new finals policy in an attempt to reduce student stress. Instead of every subject giving two finals per year, the English, history and science departments gave finals in the winter, while the math and world language departments will give finals in the spring.

“My perspective is that this new finals policy went pretty well,” Upper School Director John Schafer said. “The [metaphorical] temperature had dropped from the previous years, and there was less of a frenzy. December had a more gentle feel this year than last year.”

Some students did not have many exams at all, as seniors have the ability to personalize their schedule and eliminate certain subjects. Many junior-senior history electives also opted to give a research paper or project rather than a traditional sit-down exam.

“The finals changes reduced overall stress.”

Junior Quentin Chisholm was one of the students who benefited from having fewer exams during the winter finals week. “I really enjoyed the new finals schedule because it allowed me to calmly focus on mastering certain subjects instead of trying to cram in less material for many different classes,” Chisholm said. “It made the finals process less stressful, as I never had more than one final per day, which really helped me to succeed [with] the material. Overall, I think the finals changes reduced overall stress and persuaded

students to develop a deeper understanding in a tighter range of subjects.”

However, from the faculty perspective, there are both upsides and downsides to dividing up the finals schedule. On one hand, Upper School Spanish teacher Rebecca Mouser is in favor of this policy, which is something she had argued for when she was World Languages Department Chair.

“In the aftermath of the year-long grades policy, it seemed to me that a final in December made less sense in those disciplines that are cumulative, like math and languages,” Mouser said. “I often say that language learning is not an accumulation of information, but an acquisition of skills. It’s more like playing sports or learning to play an instrument: you need lots of practice, and you can’t forget the ‘old’ knowledge. You have to fold it in with the ‘new’ knowledge.”

On the other hand, Upper School math teacher Danielle Jensen did not like the elimination of first semester exams. She

Potential Changes to End-of-Year Celebrations

Continued from page 1.

benefit involving a senior fashion show. When Menlo transitioned away from that benefit, the administration did not want to take away the concept of a “show” from the seniors, so the current senior show was born.

“Our

main goal is to be sure the seniors are happy and feel good about their last few Menlo experiences.”

The senior show requires commitment from both the school and the students. Money from the school, as well as hours of rehearsal time for the students and faculty involved, are needed in order for the show to run smoothly.

“The administration is worried that last year, students were upset and did not want to work hard [on] the show,” said senior Lauren Ferguson, one of two student representatives on the committee. “People were

working too hard in a time that they did not want to be working hard.”

To amend any potential problems that the senior show brings, the administration sent out a survey to the current seniors on Friday, Jan. 11, asking questions about the level of commitment students are willing to give and the overall vision for the show.

The direction of the show will largely depend on the feedback that the senior class provides through this survey. “We all feel it is important to have student buy-in and, of course for it to be a fun celebration for the senior class,” said Amy Sanford, mother of senior Beth Sanford and one of two parent coordinators on the committee. “Our main goal is to be sure the seniors are happy and feel good about their last few Menlo experiences.”

Currently, no changes have been made and no plans are finalized for the senior show. “It’s a good senior class, so I think that they will have good ideas and good thoughts about what they want their show to look like,” Chen said. “Something will definitely happen, but who knows what that looks like yet?”

Ferguson mentioned some of the other ideas the committee has discussed changing, such as adding an barbecue for advo-

“The administration is worried that last year, students were upset and did not want to work hard [on] the show.”

cates to honor their students, moving the day of graduation forward or taking away graduation caps and gowns. However, like the senior show, no official changes have been made to the end-of-year celebrations.

believes that the disadvantages of not taking a winter math final outweigh the benefit of students having a less busy December. “For starters, taking cumulative semester exams is good practice for college, as most college courses will have just a midterm exam and a final exam,” Jensen said. “For math courses, there is much value in taking such a cumulative, two-to-three hour assessment in order for students to show that they can synthesize the multiple concepts that they have learned, demonstrating that they understand the connections between the various topics. Finally, the final exam is an opportunity for students to show that they have learned from their past errors.”

While math and language courses will have a final exam at the end of the year, Jensen thinks that it is daunting for students—and for herself—to have an exam that assesses an entire year’s worth of material.

Low Crime Rates in Surrounding Cities Further Shelter Menlo Students

by CAROLINE FRANTZ

Last year on Tues. Sept. 18, junior Sophie Golub’s car was broken into, and a purse was stolen from the passenger seat in the Menlo parking lot. In addition to this incident, there have been multiple robberies throughout the past few years from student backpacks on campus. Despite the fact that there are a few crimes that Menlo students have experienced, the cities surrounding

the school have low crime rates compared to the majority of other cities in the US.

In the past year, there have been 79 crimes reported in Atherton, and over 1,800 crimes in the Palo Alto area (including Atherton, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, East Palo Alto) according to the Menlo Park Police Department. Although at first glance these seem high, these numbers are significantly lower than other suburbs of a similar size

around the country. For example, Albany, NY, (which is only two square miles larger than Palo Alto) has reported over 4,200 crimes in the past year. The types of crimes included in this count are murder, rape, robbery, assault (both sexual and non-sexual) and theft.

The average crime rate in Atherton is 60% lower than the national average and 63% lower than the California state average. “I definitely feel like most Menlo students live in a bubble. Areas such as Menlo Park, Atherton, Hillsborough and West Palo Alto are really safe,” senior Sara Hewitt said. “We aren’t used to hearing gunshots in our neighborhood, and we are very privileged to get to walk around at night without fear for our safety.”

One of the more common crimes in the Silicon Valley area is car break-ins. “When I go off to college, I think I need to adjust my mindset about personal safety of myself and my belongings when I’m in public,” senior Bella Scola said. “I sometimes leave bags visible in my trunk and being more mindful of that will keep me safer.”

Students, and more specifically female students, will most likely have to make changes regarding their personal safety awareness when they leave home for college. “It’s an adjustment as a girl to go to a different area and fear for my safety, because I don’t normally have to do that where I live,” Hewitt said.

According to the Congressional Re-

search Service, total crime rate in the United States is increasing, as shown in cities like New York City, where the crime rate has been increasing every year for the past decade, according to the Wall Street Journal. Despite the fact that the areas around Menlo are safe, San Francisco was ranked

The average crime rate in Atherton is 60% lower than the national average and 63% lower than the California state average.

the No. 1 major city in the country for property theft, as stated by the San Francisco Chronicle. Menlo students are inherently sheltered due to the low crime rates in the cities surrounding the school; however, crime rates are increasing in other parts of the country.

Palo Alto Unified School District Reforms Harrassment Policies

After multiple Title IX violations, PAUSD reassesses their reactionary procedures

by ELISABETH WESTERMANN

In the 2017-18 school year, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) received 210 complaints of discrimination or violation of Title IX, which includes gender and sexual discrimination and harassment. According to the district’s Title IX Office, PAUSD received 130 reports of gender or sexual harassment or discrimination during the 2017-18 school year. As of Dec. 14, 2018, there have been 38 reports of gender or sexual harassment or discrimination at Palo Alto schools for the 2018-19 school year, according to the district’s public log. In recent years, the Palo Alto school district, and particularly Palo Alto High School (Paly), has been under public scrutiny for its handling of reports and incidents

The district failed to comply with these Title IX requirements in its handling of reports of sexual assault.

of sexual misconduct. This scrutiny in part led to the resignation of the district’s former superintendent Glenn McGee at the end of 2017 and the resignation of Paly’s former principal Kim Dioro at the end of the 201718 school year.

Two of the highest profile cases occurred in spring of 2017. In April of that year, a Paly science teacher pled guilty to inappropriately touching a student. In May, local news station KTVU reported that a Paly student had been convicted in juvenile court for “oral copulation by force, violence, duress, menace or fear in a campus bathroom” and was still attending school,

which caused an uproar among Paly parents who were concerned about the presence of a potential predator on campus.

Since 2013, the district has undergone multiple investigations into its handling of reports of Title IX violations conducted

The district’s public log includes 52 cases of reported incidents of discrimination on the basis of race.

both by the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and private law firms. Under Title IX, school officials are required to provide “a prompt and equitable response” to reports of sexual harassment, which includes investigating the reported incident, informing the complainant of the outcome of that investigation and taking steps to eliminate a hostile school environment created by an incident. The Office for Civil Rights found that in multiple cases, the district failed to comply with these Title IX requirements in its handling of reports of sexual assault. The Office for Civil Rights also recommended changes to the district’s board policy of handling reports of sexual assault to make its protocol clearer for parents and students and to ensure its compliance with Title IX.

In a resolution agreement with the Office for Civil Rights, the district hired a full-time Title IX Coordinator and a full-time Title IX investigator and revised its board policies to ensure that the district properly investigates and handles reported violations of Title IX in the future. In addition, the district has developed an online system where students and parents can anonymously report incidents of sexual misconduct. In

response to last year’s high rate of reported incidents, Title IX Coordinator Megan Farrell recommended to the district’s Title IX office that PAUSD schools increase Title IX training for teachers and develop ways to improve investigations of Title IX violations and the documentation of them.

While the public has paid a lot of attention to the PAUSD’s incidents with handling of reports of sexual misconduct, the district also appears to be struggling with high numbers of reports of other forms of harassment and discrimination. The district’s public log includes 52 cases of reported incidents of discrimination on the basis of race or national origin since the beginning of the 2017-18 school year. In response to these reports, the district’s Title IX office has recommended that the district provide faculty with more bias training.

Since the 2017 incidents and investigations, the district appears to have improved its protocol for handling Title IX investigations and reports of discrimination and harassment. However, many remain concerned that these improvements will not prevent incidents of sexual harassment from happening in the first place and will not address what some see as a systemic problem of sexual misconduct in the PAUSD.

The Mountain School: Possible Trend Gains Momentum in Menlo Community

by SAMANTHA STEVENS

A typical day for a student at The Mountain School begins with a morning chore, to be done by 8 a.m., followed by breakfast supplied by the on-campus farm that the students tend to. Chores can range from feeding the farm animals to gathering eggs to chopping wood. Following breakfast, the school day commences. Most days, an additional two-hour work period happens between fourth and fifth period, at 1:30 p.m. This laborious daily schedule is vastly different from a Menlo student’s daily routine, yet three Menlo students have experienced it in the past two years.

The Mountain School (TMS) is a semester-long program located in rural Vermont, three hours north of Boston. Only 45 students are enrolled per semester, making it a selective admissions process. According to TMS’s mission statement, students “learn to know a place and take care of it” by tending to the school farm.

A typical day for a student at The Mountain School begins with a morning chore, to be done by 8 a.m., followed by breakfast supplied by the on-capmus farm that the students tend to.

Senior Lauren Ferguson attended TMS’s fall semester of 2017, junior Janina Troper recently attended the 2018 fall semester and junior Kendall Weingart is currently attending the 2019 spring semester.

Ferguson discovered the school through one of her brothers at Middlebury College, also located in Vermont. In her sophomore year, Ferguson was researching summer programs when her brother suggested that

she look into semester schools as an alternative adventure. He had college friends who raved about TMS and similar programs.

With her interest piqued, Ferguson talked to the Menlo administration about the feasibility of leaving Menlo for a semester while still being able to come back in the middle of the same school year, and she tackled the challenge of aligning her junior year requirements with the TMS curriculum.

At TMS, the core classes consist of English and environmental science, though it is highly recommended to also take math, history (typically U.S. history), a foreign language (Spanish, French, Latin or Mandarin) and possibly an elective. Luckily for Ferguson, most of her academic requirements at Menlo matched up with TMS’s courses. Biology was her main scheduling issue, because it was not offered at TMS, but at Menlo it is normally taken junior year. Therefore, instead of taking biology her junior year, Ferguson is currently taking it as a senior in order to fulfill Menlo’s core curriculum requirements.

Troper, who just got back from her fall semester at TMS, also struggled with scheduling difficulties. Because of Menlo’s new history policy, in which U.S. history is taken by sophomores instead of juniors, Troper had already taken U.S. History, so she opted to take art at TMS in the place of a history class. Like Ferguson, Troper will take biology during her senior year.

Despite scheduling issues, both Ferguson and Troper came home appreciative of their new experiences and new perspectives on the world around them.

“At [TMS], differences were embraced and celebrated.”

Ferguson’s biggest

from TMS was the deep connections that she made with her classmates and teachers. Because of the intimate living quarters, Ferguson got to know other students on a personal level that is impossible to do at Menlo. “At [TMS], differences were embraced and celebrated, so I learned a lot about how people interact and what it means to open up,” Ferguson said. In addition, Ferguson’s experience away from home helped her realize

what type of college she’d like to go to. “[The] community that I built [at TMS] made me realize that I really, really like small environments,” Ferguson said. For Troper, TMS helped her realize her passion for environmental science and protection of the environment. “My biggest takeaway was being enlightened about the state of our environment. [...] I was really impacted by the environmental science course [...] [because] it gave me this specific knowledge that I feel like

the whole world is lacking,” she said. With three students participating in semester-long programs over the past two years, it will be interesting to see if this could become a more common pursuit among Menlo students in the future, even with the scheduling issues it may pose.

Menlo Theater Program Performs Untraditional Play, “The Old Man and the Old Moon”

by VIONNA ESHGHI

“The Old Man and the Old Moon” tells the story of an old man whose responsibility is to fill the moon with light on a daily basis. “His lady love goes off in search of a familiar tune, and he has to go off to find his lady love, but in doing so, he can no longer fill the light in the moon, so the universe becomes chaos because the moon is

dark,” Minning explained. “Once he finds his lady love, he can put light back into the moon.”

“The Old Man and the Old Moon” tells the story of an old man whose responsibility is to fill the moon with light on a daily basis.

This story is a fable about how the moon gets its phases, and more importantly, a story about hope, light and change. “[It’s a story] about how it’s hard to change but sometimes very necessary,” Minning said. “It’s a really wonderful story that people can be surprised at.”

“The Old Man and the Old Moon” is quite different from most productions Menlo has previously done. According to Minning, Menlo typically does productions that are more traditional. After watching the show in New York a few years ago, Minning fell in love with the story. “I thought it was an excellent piece and [I wanted to] do it somewhere because I thought the message was so strong,” Minning said. Last spring, when Minning received a notice from one of the licensing companies that the rights to the play had just been released for amateur productions, he jumped on board and bought the rights.

According to Minning, the cast of 20 is enjoying rehearsals so far. “The show is originally for seven people, [...] but I took those seven parts and basically added water to a sponge and increased the roles, and I think it just gives a lot more opportunities for people and certainly much more of a fun experience for the students to create something together,” Minning said.

This story is a fable about how the moon gets its phases, and more importantly, a story about hope, light and change.

Junior Ethan Bernheim, who plays the role of the old man, enjoys the overall creativity of the production. “My favorite part of the show is how creative it is. It’s like nothing I’ve ever done before. Every re-

is new and exciting and I can’t wait for it to open,” Bernheim said.

Buy tickets online or at the bookstore for “The Old Man and the Old Moon,” running on Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 9 at 2:00 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 10 at 5:00 p.m., in the Florence Moore Auditorium.

Top 10 Off-Campus Lunch Spots:

Hewitt Breathes New Life Into Old-Fashioned Instrument

by KYRA GESCHKE

Senior Sara Hewitt is the female Artist of the Issue because of her dedication to and love of the accordion. Hewitt started playing the accordion when she was in sixth grade, but due to an injury restricting her from holding weight on her shoulder, she was unable to continue learning for the majority of middle school and high school.

Hewitt picked the accordion back up halfway through her junior year.

Hewitt cites her family traditions for

cordion. “[Two of] my great-great-grandfathers played the accordion when they were young,” Hewitt said. “It was a part of how they kept their Italian heritage with them when they immigrated to America.”

Hewitt’s original interest to learn the accordion stemmed from her family tradition, but she continues to play the accordion now due to her love of the instrument and the music she is able to create with it.

“I think it is a very joyful instrument. Sure, I can play sadder, slower songs with it, but the general sounds that it makes are very uplifting,” Hewitt said.

Because very few people still play the accordion, Hewitt originally struggled to find someone to teach her how to play.

“After truly months of searching for a local accordion teacher, I was able to find my teacher, Marian Kelly,” Hewitt said.

When Hewitt originally discovered her teacher, Kelly was giving lessons from her home, but she has since moved into a retirement home 30 minutes away. Hewitt has continued to take lessons from Kelly and has made a great connection with her.

“We play the accordion, surely disrupting the rest of the retirement home, but we still have fun,” Hewitt said.

Although Hewitt does not participate in any Menlo music program, she is excited to see how her accordion career continues as she embarks on her gap year. While Hewitt is not positive how she will bring her accordion with her, she is enthusiastic about continuing to play after she leaves Menlo.

Lim Dives Headfirst Into World of Performing

by RYAN YOUNG

The Male Artist of the Issue is junior dancer and gymnast Josh Lim. Lim dances with the Menlo Knight Life team, the on-campus hip-hop group, and takes advanced jazz dance at Menlo. He was first inspired to start dancing with Knight Life when he saw them perform at the Creative Arts Assembly and the Homecoming pep rally of his freshman year. Lim was able to quickly learn choreography and dance routines due to his previous love for dance and extensive gymnastics career.

Lim was a competitive gymnast between the ages of five and nine. Even when he solely did gymnastics, he was still interested in eventually pursuing dance. “I was always fascinated with the dance aspect of gymnastics, but boys couldn’t really do dance,” Lim said. As he got older and went into middle school, he gained lots of inspiration from TV dance shows such as “So You Think You Can Dance?” and “Dancing with the Stars.”

Lim learned many of the foundational gymnastics tricks he incorporates into dance routines through emulating YouTube videos. “I tried to teach myself a flip, and once I learned one, I wanted to learn more complex tricks as well,” Lim said.

As a freshman, Lim had severe performance anxiety. He was afraid to get in front of a large crowd and perform his routine. Today, even though he still occasionally gets nervous before a performance, he credits his comfort to the inclusiveness of his team. “Knight Life is such a nurturing

environment and a judge-free zone. [ . . . ] It’s just a positive place where anyone can learn to dance with great people all around them,” Lim said. As he has become more experienced with performing, he has learned to channel his nerves and feed off of the energy and applause of the crowd. “I really enjoy performing at Valpo halftime because that’s where I can throw my hardest tricks,” Lim said. He will often perform daring flips in the center of the stage and loves the feeling of the audience cheering for him.

Lim’s favorite performance was a gymnastics routine at the 2018 Menlo Dance Concert with graduates Bo Leschly (‘18) and Drew Wadsworth (‘18), as well as junior Finn Leschly. He hopes to continue making great memories with his team for the rest of his high school career and is always seeking to improve upon his tricks.

College Performing Arts Auditions

by KATE HAMMOND

Continued from page 1.

Once an applicant gets past the preliminary round, they are invited to a live audition. “Every audition process is different. Some [live auditions] are the same with the cutting process after each stage of the audition. I have core solos for every school, but they all want different styles [of dance] and lengths, so I have shaped some solos for

different schools. I am preparing to have many solos ready and take a wide variety of classes,” Shiveley said.

The musical theatre audition process is similar to the dance audition process. Some live auditions do not require applicants to go to the school, but rather to a large city to audition in front of many schools at once.

“For [musical theatre] live auditions, you either go to each campus to audition, or there are auditions called unified auditions

where there are three weekends among the months of January and February where a lot of schools travel to New York, Los An-

geles or Chicago,” Gold said.

Along with the extra work, students applying to an arts major have to wait until March to hear back from all the schools since there is no early decision or early action due to the live audition process.

“[My experience has been] stressful. I am applying to 23 schools, so it is all of those plus the auditions in January and February, and I won’t hear back until March.” Young said.

To prepare for the live auditions, Young has been receiving extra lessons. “I have been going to voice and acting lessons to make my monologues and my songs the best they can be. I have been preparing for three or four months now to make sure

the auditions go well, but I do not know what to expect once I get in the room. They could ask any question or [ask] me to do anything,” Young said.

Menlo helps with the academic part of the application, but the students use extra support from mentors outside of Menlo to help with their videos and preparing for the live audition. “I have an outside-of-school audition coach who I have been working with since the summer going into my junior year. She has given me my monologues because that is not really something that Menlo can do. Realistically, I am working

Applying for an arts major includes the normal application process for the college but requires extra essays, videos and auditions to get into

the specific program. with her because she has the connections to different schools and is the one that introduced me to the intensives I have done and been in touch with the college professors I have worked with,” Sanford said. Although Shiveley has always been certain that dance would be a part of her future, she debated whether a college dance program would be best for her dance education. “I was unsure if I was going to do a gap year or try to audition for companies before college, but in the last few years I have noticed how important it is to get an education and that [it] is possible to get both at the same time,” Shiveley said.

Selected Student Profile: Quentin Chishom

by KATE JEFFRIES

CoA: Where were you born?

Quentin: Stanford, California.

CoA: Have you ever moved in your life? If so, where did you used to live and for how long?

Quentin: I have moved, but only once! I lived in Menlo Park until I was 10 and then I moved just a mile away to Atherton where I live now.

CoA: If your childhood was a smell what would it be?

Quentin: The Scholastic Book Fair.

CoA: What was your dream job when you were younger?

Quentin: When I was in second grade, I had my heart set on becoming a professional cat-sitter.

CoA: When does it stop being partly cloudy and start being partly sunny?

Quentin: If I’m getting sunburnt, then it’s partly sunny.

CoA: What childhood experience did you have that has been ruined for you today?

Quentin: That Santa Claus isn’t real.

CoA: If you were exiled from the United States what country would you move to and why?

Quentin: I’m going to go with France.

CoA: Pourquoi?

Quentin: I love Paris, and I also take French. There you go.

CoA: If you were a vampire, what age would you choose to be forever?

Quentin: Definitely 11. That was a really good year for me.

CoA: Why was 11 your best year?

Quentin: Just my gut reaction is that 11 was great.

CoA: Have you ever met anyone famous? If so, who and where?

Quentin: I always like to throw out the fact that I am third cousins with Paris Hilton, but I’ve never met her!

CoA: If you could have a wild animal as a pet, which animal would you choose and why?

Quentin: I have always been fascinated by squirrels. And narwhals. It’s hard to explain.

CoA: Annie’s or Kraft Mac and Cheese, or neither?

Quentin: Kraft, no question. The shape

of the Kraft noodles really enhances the taste.

CoA: If you could join the cast of any TV show which show would you choose and why?

Quentin: “The Office.” Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.

CoA: What is one food that you would never give up?

Quentin: Brussels sprouts.

CoA: What is something that makes you laugh until you cry?

Quentin: My four dogs, and, of course, my cat.

CoA: What is the meaning of life?

Quentin: Hmmm… the meaning of life is probably to watch Netflix. In other words, “The Office” pretty much captures it all.

ABOUT MENLOFACULTY

Allen Marco: Flik

By Kyra Geschke

Many students know Allen Marco as one of the people who work for Flik in the cafete- ria, someone who is at school every lunch to help serve the students food and refresh the drink dispensers. But very few people really know Marco as more than one of the people that serves them lunch.

Marco’s early life was spent growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana. Marco spent the majority of his adolescence playing sports, while working towards his future of hopefully studying business and accounting. After graduating high school in 1968, Marco went to a trade school to pursue accounting, but after only a few weeks, Marco was drafted into the army.

At the age of 17, Marco received a notice he was going to be drafted to serve in the Vietnam War, and at 18 years old Marco was official- ly working in the military, despite his personal hesitations. “How I looked at it was that I did not want to go in someone else’s backyard and fight be- cause I do not know anything about their backyard,” Marco said.

Fortunately, Marco was not sent to fight in Vietnam, but was instead asked to serve in America. “I didn’t quite make it to [Vietnam]. I got placed here in California in a desert location and my [Military Occupational Selection] was to be a warehouse worker in the materials division of the military, working in a warehouse,” said Marco. The government eventually changed his Military Occupational Selection and he was transferred to a different division of the military: the Headquar- ters division to work as a military police. He was interacted with civil authorities in regards to drugs and other illegal substances and completed various military assignments to guard the coast. “In the mil- itary, I was able to see so much that I had never seen before, meet people that I would not have met and have experiences unlike anything I had done before. My time in the military is why I am still here in California today,” Marco said. After his first two years as a warehouse worker and military police, Marco was required to join the United States Marine Corps Reserves for another four years, working a variety of civilian jobs in the United States while on call to be

deployed for combat if necessary. he lived in Cal- ifornia from the 1970s to 1982, until he returned home to New Orleans. While home for two years, Marco joined the Army National Guard in New Or- leans and spent six years serving as a heavy equipment operator. Along with working in the Army National Guard, Marco was working as a correctional officer. “I was a state employed correctional officer. The most significant part about my job as a correctional officer was trying to convince guys that there was a better life than prison life,” Marco said.. As a correctional officer, Marco was working in a prison. His main responsibility was managing the work release program implemented at the prison and helping inmates transition back into society after they had served their time. “I think that after being a military police, I fit into the mold of a correctional officer well. My background working as a military police is why I think I got the job,” Marco said. While working at the prison, Marco learned many valuable life lessons, including the importance of independence. “The most important thing that a lot of [the inmates] did not understand [was how to value freedom]. As a correctional officer, I told them when to get up, where they were going to work, for how long, and when you come back. Inmates had no freedom, unless I was able to give it to them,” Marco said.

Marco believes that though the military allowed him to see new places and learn valuable lessons, the military was not the experience he aspired for it to be.

“When I first was drafted to the military, the first thing they told me was ‘you now belong to the government.’ When that is what you are supposed to live by, you value every freedom you have once you are released,” Marco said.

Today, Marco is living in San Jose with his family, and is very grateful for everything his job, experiences, family and friends have taught him. Marco has learned the true worth of gratitude. “Everyday when I leave my house until the time I get home, there are a lot of people who are wealthy, or sick, or older than I am who are still going to work and I am not sure what is going to happen to them, but when you see all of that everyday, you appreciate what you have,” Marco said.

Matthew Nelson: History

By Crystal Bai

In the classroom, he will likely be found engaging in lively discussion with his students on topics ranging from the origins of the AIDS crisis to the 2018 midterm elections. Outside office hours, students may see him traipsing the halls of Menlo School with a Peet’s coffee in hand, heading towards his instantly recognizable yellow Jeep. Something students might not know about Upper School history teacher Matthew Nelson, however, is that under the guise of his teaching profession lies a man eternally devoted to learning.

What that learning looks like for Nelson varies. In the most traditional sense of the word, Nelson’s dream pursuit would have him switch roles from a teacher back to a student. “I know for certain what I would be doing [if I wasn’t a teacher],” Nelson said. “I would be enrolled in a PhD program at Cal, perhaps in history or litera- ture. It would be, actually, very similar to what I am as a teacher—pursuing the life of the mind, but in more of a perpetual learner mode than a teaching role.”

One of the first learning experiences Nelson re- members is a trip with his church youth group to Mount Katahdin, the tallest mountain in Maine. “The adult youth leader, Brian, was a fearless and charismatic Marine who had been in Operation Desert Storm, and he got the idea in his head that he would take [my youth group] to hike Mount Katahdin,” Nelson said. “Brian failed to tell us that as part of this hike, there was a three-quarters of a mile ledge called Knife’s Edge Trail that was at most five feet wide, and people have died there. [...] That experience really just made you appreciate life. It’s just one of those stories that looms large and has stayed with

For example, last summer Nelson took interest in tie-dying textiles using indigo. “I studied the whole science of how to tie-dye things with indigo and re- searched the kits that you can buy to tie-dye textiles,” Nelson said. “[After tie-dying], I had to figure out how to get rid of the chemicals after making a mess on my back steps. But, I made a pencil case, some t-shirts, a towel and some other things that I was really excited about.”

More recently, after receiving several bags of artisanal coffee beans as a gift over the holiday break, Nelson decided it was time for another obsession. “I love coffee, and I’d been obsessed with baristas and their pour-over skills,” Nelson said. “I researched what kind of pour-over mechanism or paraphernalia that I would need for exquisite pour-over coffee. I basically went on YouTube and watched every sort of pour-over coffee video that came up, and I wrote it all down to try to master the art of pour-over coffee making. Then, I practiced and practiced and practiced. I think I’ve got it down now.”

Even a decade from now, Nelson still envisions himself as a learner. “I’ll probably be teaching, wanting to continue to pursue that life of the mind and ob- sessing over something new,” Nelson said. “Maybe I’ll be into crocheting by then, or maybe I’ll be an avid cyclist. But, believe me, there will be something to obsess about, and it will have an aesthetic quality to it.” Nelson’s determination in the pursuit of his personal passions accurately reflect the words he lives by: esse quam videri, a Latin phrase meaning “to be, rather than to seem.” “There’s a lot of people who are afraid to live their true lives,” Nelson said. “They put on a facade, or they’re pretending, or they’re trying to manage other people’s expectations of who they should be. And so, instead of being, they are seeming to be. They’re putting a performance on for people, or they’re having to wear multiple masks for different groups of people that they encounter in their lives. I feel personally that I am at my best self when I’m being,

Nina Ollikainen: Art

By Page Wolfenden

Though most know Nina Ollikainen as the Menlo Upper School studio art teacher, she has not always pursued a career as an artist. Ollikainen attended University of Southern California Medical School, later starting her residency in pathology, the study of disease. Ollikainen is still a licenced physician, maintaining her medical license by keeping up with medical credits.

medical illustrator. My role model was Doctor Frank Netter who managed to be both a medical artist and doctor. My father always spoke highly of him and my parents had this whole plan set before me to follow in Dr. Netter’s footsteps. It wasn’t until the second year of my residency in medicine that I finally chose to follow a path of my own,” Ollikainen said. One of Ollikainen’s most memorable life experiences occurred during her third year in medical school in one of her first rotations at the L.A. County General Hospital. “I remember clearly being led into a sterile, white room that was empty except for a folding chair and a metal gurney with an elderly man lying unconscious on it. He was covered in a white sheet and I could see he was still breathing. The room was filled with the smell of Raid insecticide and there was an ant trail along the edge of the gurney. The chief resident told me this man was found unresponsive covered in ants, so the paramedics sprayed him before bringing him to the hospital. After briefly showing me how to check the patients venous pressure, the resident left me alone with the patient. I

“I decided to study medicine partly to please my family. My grandfather, father, brother and my mother’s cousins were all male physicians and I was on my way to becoming the first woman in my family to a doctor. It bothered me why women were treated differently than men and had different expectations set before them,” Ollikainen said. While she felt a familial obligation to pursue medicine, Ollikainen always had a passion for art. “I always loved to create art. However in my family, artists were considered to be wacky and unable to make a living. My compromise was to become a

wasterrifiedthepatientwouldpassawayundermywatch,andvery regretfulthatIhadrememberedlittleofmymedicalschooltraining. Ididn’twanttomakethingsworseandtheonlythingIcouldthink ofwastoholdhishand.Myownhandswerefreezingbuthishands werereassuringlywarmandIcouldfeelastrongpulse.Ikeptholding hishand,andsquishingantsastheytriedtoescape.Eventually,Ifell asleeponthecold,hardchair.EarlyinthemorningIshookmyself awakeandtomyimmenserelief,themanwasalivealthoughnotconscious.Hishandsfeltwarmandhisbreathingwasregular[...].Iwas abletocheckinonthepatientlaterinthedayafterhehadbeen broughttoaregularhospitalroom.WhenIopenedthedoor,theman wassittinguprightinhisbed,lightfromthewindowilluminatinghis beamingsmileashereachedouthishandstowardme.Iheldhishands oncemoreandhesaid,‘tueresunangeldevida,’youwereanangel oflife.Itwasoneofthemost joyousmomentsIhaveeverexperienced.AllIhaddonewascareforthismanandholdhishand,yetin this man’s eyes it was a life saving miracle. I think of this often and hope everyone can reach out and connect with those in need,” Ollikainen said. Throughout her journey of becoming the ‘medical artist’ she aspired to be at a young age, Ollikainen has tried to live by a few principal ideals. “I totally believe in unconditional love and forgiveness, but I am still trying to completely achieve that level,” she said.

Progress Since Parkland, What has Changed?

by ADLEY VOGEL

Continued from page 1.

semi-automatic weapon, were banned by order of President Trump, and nine states have some kind of ban on high capacity magazines, limiting magazines to five to 10 rounds depending on the state. The bump stock ban alone, had it been implemented sooner, could have prevent ed the October 2017 Las Vegas shooting from being as lethal as it was, where 59 people, the equivalent of almost half of the Menlo senior class, lost their lives to a single shooter with 24 weapons, 14 of which were rifles fitted with bump stocks.

Gun culture and gun control aren’t mutually exclusive.

This is the kind of progress that was called for by the March For Our Lives Or ganization, and there are examples of their voice driving massive legislative change. Bills passed in Florida and Vermont were explicitly motivated by the massacre. The Florida bill was even named the Marjo ry Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Act. Real change has been happening and real change continues to happen. Two fresh man Congresswomen, Lucy McBath and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have made gun control integral to their platforms and join the ranks of the other 169 gun control proponents (having an NRA voting record of less than 13%) in the House of Repre sentatives who work to bring about even more federal reform. Progress isn’t flashy, but it’s progress. The number of law signed in 2018 that loosened existing gun legisla tion were dwarfed by the number of laws enacted that give the American people

what an overwhelming majority of them already want: common sense regulations. Gun culture in America isn’t going anywhere any time soon, and it doesn’t have to. To minimize the part guns play in the American mythos would be to intentionally misunderstand mass-

license, a world with tighter gun ownership laws would make us feel safer knowing that those who do have guns are truly equipped for the accompanying responsi-

Staff illustration by Nic Garcia. bility. Guns are here to stay, but because of what was started in February 2018 in Parkland, Florida, we can begin to slowly cure the epidemic of gun violence in America.

Coat of Arms

Editor-in-Chief......................................................Clara Guthrie

Print Editor........................................................Bridget Quigley

Online Editor..........................................................Kate Jeffries

News Editor.......................................................Caroline Frantz

Arts and Lifestyle Editor....................................Vionna Eshghi

Spread Editor....................................................Kate Hammond

Opinions Editor......................................Elisabeth Westermann

Sports Editor.................................................Samantha Stevens

Copy Editor..............................................................Crystal Bai

Staff Photographer..........................Sadie Stinson, Bella Scola

Staff Reporters...................................................Kyra Geschke, Ryan Young, Adley Vogel, Page Wolfenden, Sarah Norum

Faculty Adviser...................................................Tripp Robbins

Staff Illustraters ..................................................Melody Zhou, Tzy Ying Yee, Nic Garcia

Share your opinions with us on any topic, whether we’ve covered it or not. Send a letter to the editor at:

clara.guthrie@menloschool.org

The Coat of Arms 50 Valparaiso Avenue Atherton, California 94027 (650) 330-2001 or to

Visit us online at menlocoa.org

Mission Statement

The primary mission of The Coat of Arms is to report accurately and thoroughly on news that is significant to the greater Menlo School community. We will chronicle in context the different events and perspectives within the school, while ensuring unbiased coverage. We welcome feedback and aspire to create an open dialogue with our audience by being accessible on multiple platforms and by striving to remain neutral in all circumstances.

On the Quad:

How much of a problem do you think social media is in today’s world?

“I think it really influences the way that you think about yourself and other people.”

- Tessa Tomkinson ‘22

The

“I am a big fan of face to face communications, and I would rather just not have to deal with social media. But I’m also a big fan of memes.”

- Bella Scola ‘19

“I

think a lot of people are actually really infatuated by it, and they are obsessed with creating and maintaining a social image, and that’s not healthy”

- Xander Stabile ‘20

“My parents don’t allow me to have social media, which I think helps me a lot academically [...] I think it’s a problem because I constantly see people on their phones, and if people were more interactive with each other, maybe everyone would get along better.”

- George Rogers ‘21

“I think it is a problem, especially Instagram, because people only show the good parts of their life, so when others look at it, they think everybody else is perfect, and feel bad about themselves.”

- Julia Deffner ‘21

Unwanted Guest at the Dinner Table: Your Smartphone

by SAMANTHA STEVENS

I’m sitting at a table eating dinner with three friends. I’m telling what I imagine to be a riveting story. I’m going on and on about “he said this” and “she said that.” But then I notice— no one is listening. It’s beginning to feel like one of those moments where I could blurt out something absurd, like a talking dog or my last nude appearance at a family funeral, and no one would notice. Instead of participating in a group conversation, my friends are consumed by their cell phones. I have lost in a battle against a 6-by-3-inch screen.

For us “screenagers,” it’s common to be constantly distracted by our phones, but what concerns me is that it isn’t just teenagers who are consumed by their phones during meals. Look around at restaurants— seven-year-olds’ faces are lit up by the radiating light of an iPad screen, while the couple a few tables over have barely spoken to each other because they are more enamored with their phones than they are with one another. Seeing adults and kids use their phones or tablets during dinners worries me. I worry that if our parents are doing it, this unhealthy habit that teenagers, myself included, have won’t be something that we grow out of. I worry that if we continue to prefer the apps on our phones over the person sitting across from us at the dinner table, we will lose our ability to deeply connect with one another. In fact, I worry that our sense of connection with one another is already diminishing.

As cliché as it is, meals, whether with family or with friends, should be a time for gathering and connection. At my house, meals are when we

share stories about our days, make plans for upcoming weekends or update each other on what we’re learning in class. Multiple studies, including one by Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, have shown that dinner time is crucial for family bonding. In the Columbia study, teenagers were asked when they were most likely to talk to their parents, and dinner was the top answer. If the value of social meals has been proven by scientific studies and personal experience, why do we keep robbing ourselves of that value by using our phones during meals? The constant rings, dings and buzzes seem to control the way we interact, making it difficult for us to sit down for one hour without checking our notifications. Even without the actual sound,

our phones taunt us from the table surface as soon as the screens light up with a new notification. As described in a study conducted by researchers at Virginia Tech, “even without active use, the presence of mobile technologies has the potential to divert individuals from face-to-face exchanges, thereby undermining the character and depth of these connections.”

I know that I feel overwhelmed by the everyday presence of technology, ranging from unanswered emails to the stress of posting an Instagram picture and worrying about how many “likes” it receives. So, if technology holds a suffocating power over most of us, why not take a break from it for the hour required to eat dinner? Or, dare I suggest, carve out an additional 40 to 60 minutes of screen-free time dedicat-

ed to eating breakfast and lunch as well?

Not only would leaving phones off of the dinner table clear our minds of the seemingly constant buzz, but we would also be better at respecting and listening to one another. If you are sharing a meal with someone, assuming you’re aware of polite social standards, you wouldn’t pull out a book and start reading right in front of the other person. The same goes for phone usage. Scrolling through your Instagram feed or texting someone else reflects your disinterest in the situation and the other person.

With phones at the table, even our happiness may be in danger, according to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. The study found that “technology at the table caused people to feel more distracted and less socially engaged, leading to a drop in enjoyment.” For the experiment, they instructed half of the participants to keep their phone on the table and the other half were told to keep their phones off of the table. The group with phones on the table had a clear dip in overall enjoyment, with 11% of their meal time spent using their phone. Ideally, we would all eliminate our screens from the dinner table. But, I understand that the busy world around us doesn’t stop for every one-hour meal. Perhaps an important phone call needs to be taken, or a bold statement made by someone at the dinner table needs to be fact-checked via Google, or photos from a recent trip are being passed around on an iPhone like show-and-tell. All I ask is that if phones are a part of dining that they involve everyone at the table and enrich the experience.

Semi: Can You Really Say ‘No’? Semi:

by KATE JEFFRIES

With the Winter Semi-Formal Dance just around the corner, the quad is filled with nervous groups of students watching the elaborate dance asks unfold. Given that Semi is the only date dance that includes the entire Upper School, many students spend time worrying about their date for the night. At Menlo, it often seems as though the unspoken assumption is that a more excessive ask is better. While I am a huge supporter of the creativity and thoughtfulness students put into their asks each year, I find the expectation that being asked by someone means you must go with that person to be concerning. It could be argued that one could simply say “no” if they don’t want to go with the person who asked them, but the culture that surrounds public asks paints saying “no” as taboo. While I don’t think that being publicly rejected on the quad is ideal, especially when that person built up the courage to ask in the first place, I do think that it needs to be socially acceptable to politely decline someone’s ask if you don’t want to go with them or simply have other plans. The current expectation is that if someone buys you flowers and makes a poster, you owe it to them to go to the dance together. However, this is clearly a one-way street. Semi asks at Menlo are no longer questions, but rather a transactional system that lacks mutual agreement in some cases. While the vast majority of asks involve two people who would be happy to go to the dance together, it is undeniable that there are cases where people are very uncomfortable going

with the person who chooses to ask them.

Overall, the message of this article isn’t that we should get rid of all the creative and personal public asks, but rather we need to understand that they are questions, not mutual agreements. While I don’t think people should reject a thoughtful ask just because they were hoping to go with someone else, I do think that we, as a school, need to move away from the expectation that a poster and creative pun is a guaranteed “yes.” At the end of the day, if you for whatever reason don’t feel comfortable going with the person that asked you, you should have the right to respectfully deny their offer.

More Than One Answer

by KATE HAMMOND

As the annual Winter Semi-Formal Dance approaches, many students will ask each other to the dance on the quad during lunch. This includes extravagant posters, crowds watching or videoing and nervous students waiting for their turn to be asked or to ask someone.

Ever since freshman year, I have looked forward to this entertaining week. Although public asks are a great way to show excitement and demonstrate thoughtfulness towards the person you are asking, it does raise the question: If I am asked by someone in front of a

large crowd, am I allowed to say no? I believe that the person who is being asked, regardless of gender, should be able to say no. I do not think that public Semi asks are a consent issue because it should not be devastating if someone says no. It is completely up to them, and their decision should be respected without everyone on the quad making it a huge deal.

Although there have been awkward situations of people being blindsided, since my freshman year, all my friends, including myself, knew who they were being asked by. Whether this was through personal communication or rumors flying around the quad, most people have some previous knowledge before the large, public gesture. If there is any sort of concern about safety or being comfortable around one’s date at the dance, it is usually sorted out before the public ask.

Along with prior knowledge, people should realize that this ask is just for one night. Even if you are not able to go with your crush, you can still make the best of the situation. Semi gives you a great opportunity to go with your friends, get to know a new person or even spark an unexpected romance.

Although I believe that public Semi asks are not a consent issue, with an overwhelming crowd watching and the thoughtful poster right in front of you, I understand how one would feel bad for the person if you say no. At the end the day, anyone doing a public ask needs to understand that the askee has every right to say no.

New Year, New You? How to Make More Realistic Resolutions

by BRIDGET QUIGLEY

With 2018 in our rearview mirrors, many people start brainstorming which pointless, unattainable New Year’s resolutions they want to take on for the coming year. Let me save you the trouble by giving you a piece of overused but extremely important advice: be realistic. Making claims of eating healthy all year, exercising every day or committing to learn five new instruments is ridiculous. Every year, people make vows to themselves or others, and every year those vows are often broken about three weeks into the new year.

Although I am also guilty of the “resolution disease,” I am trying to keep my expectations as low as possible this year. I reflect on the past year and think about specific aspects I would have changed to make myself happier or more successful. From there, I decide which of these things I could change in the new year and maintain. I set goals for myself with achievable ways of carrying them out. I am personally successful when I implement a reward system. I promise myself 30 minutes of television or a snack break after finishing an essay or homework. Other helpful strategies include apps that remind you

I set goals for myself with achievable ways of carrying them out.

to stay hydrated, such as Plant Nanny. If you make unrealistic commitments for 2019, you are only going to find yourself miserable trying to stay dedicated to them and ultimately disappointed when you give up. The new year and the concept of resolutions is not to make you unhappy or feel unaccomplished; it is frankly the opposite.

For this reason, ensuring that your resolutions are feasible is the most important component of the resolutions themselves. While promising yourself daily exercise and a healthy diet is undeniably admirable, it is worth nothing if it will be abandoned come February. That being said, think about the outrageously hopeful goals you would set for yourself, and then dial them back slightly. Try to exercise three times a week or eat healthy but allow yourself “cheat days” every so often. Promise yourself to buy that guitar you have been thinking about; you can learn how to play it next year.

Winter Sports Season Records

Boys basketball: 5-2

Girls basketball: 5-1

Boys soccer: 2-1

Girls soccer: 3-0-1

* All records include varsity league games. Last updated on Jan. 22.

Girls Basketball Reigns Supreme Over Sacred Heart Preparatory

by KYRA GESCHKE

On Friday, Jan. 11, varsity girls basketball dominated the lower-ranked Sacred Heart Prep in a West Bay Athletic League matchup.

The team came out strong in the first quarter, scoring 19 points with Prep trailing behind with only eight points. However, Prep tightened the game in the second quarter, making the score 23-17 at the half.

“We’re a young team full of talent, and we are ready to take on [the] season.”

In the third quarter, Prep came out strong again, scoring 13 points, with the Knights only scoring 10. But, the Knights took off in the final quarter, scoring 25 points and ending the game strong with a final score of 58-41.

The team had a great game overall, with Junior Maeia Makoni being named player of the game by MaxPreps, as she scored 12 points out of her 15 points total in the fourth quarter to help secure the win. Sophomore Avery Lee also helped the Knights’ takeover in the fourth quarter, and had 12 of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter. Lee also had six steals and five assists. Along with Makoni and Lee showing

outstanding performances in the final quarter, freshman standout Sharon Nejad finished the game with 10 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.

Junior Bella Stuart was proud of the way the team started and ended this game and is ready to see how well the team is going to do this season. “We are a young team full of talent and we are ready to take on [the] season,” Stuart said.

How Outside-of-School Athletes Fulfill Menlo

by VIONNA ESHGHI

Sports are a high priority among many students at Menlo. Many students play sports at school, while a number of them continue to compete in sports outside of school.

Junior Kennedy Cleage dances at Menlo while also competing in dance outside of school. “My mom originally put me into a combination tap and ballet class when I was three years old. Most of the other girls were bored out of their minds, and I was definitely one of the few who both looked forward to class and payed attention,” Cleage said. “While most of these girls convinced their parents to let them quit as commitment grew, I realized that I loved dance and it was something I wanted to stick with.”

By the time Cleage got to high school, she had to choose between tennis, which she had played in middle school at Menlo, and dance, now that both sports required increasing amounts of time commitment. “I, clearly, chose dance. Dancing allows me to express myself and take my mind off of stress from other aspects of my life,” Cleage said. “From a young age, it has taught me perseverance, discipline and a healthy amount of competitiveness.”

Along with being a teacher’s assistant for a Menlo dance class, Cleage is also a member of Menlo’s Knights dance team. She spends much of her time dancing outside of school as well. “I do not currently get sports credit [for dancing outside of school]. I have gotten sports credit in the past from taking jazz dance as an elective, but I still need to find a way to get more,” Cleage explained.

Junior Sophie Golub plays for Menlo’s water polo team and competes for a club water polo team outside of school. Though she initially swam competitively, she realized that she enjoyed water polo more after she had surgery in seventh grade and

tried out the sport. “[Surgery] made me really far behind all of my teammates and friends [and] it was really difficult mentally and physically to try and catch up. I did water polo then because middle school water polo was happening when I was healing and it was love at first jump in the water,” Golub said. Along with that, her dad played water polo in college and really wanted her to try it out. “I continue to play water polo because I love my Menlo and club teams,” Golub said. “I also like how the sport requires a lot of thinking, planning and skill, which I really enjoy.” Golub receives her sports credit from playing water polo and swimming for Menlo, but does not receive any credit for participating in these activities outside of school.

Between club water polo and Menlo’s water polo program, Golub believes that the overall commitment and expectations are much higher when she plays for her club team. “I think that is because you have to try out and are selected, which means that the range of skill levels are not so varied. In high school water polo, the skill levels vary a little more,” Golub said. However, one major similarity that Golub noted was the incredible teammates and bonds that each team has. “The people are incredibly awesome, and on both teams I know that we have each others’ backs inside and outside of the pool. Also, on both teams, the coaches are super involved and really care about your development and the teams development.”

Junior Quentin Chisholm has been playing soccer for De Anza Force in San Jose for the past three years. Chisholm initially started playing the sport because both his dad and his older brother played. “The combination of both these things motivated me to try it out, and I immediately became passionate about it. I love soccer because of the way it allows me to connect with new people, the excitement that the sport

This win marked the Knights’ 11th consecutive game win streak. This streak is the longest win streak for girls basketball since Menlo won 18 games in a row on their way to a state championship in the 1990-91 season. The girls are ready to continue this win streak as they head into the rest of their league season and hopefully the Central Coast Section tournament.

Sports Requirements

brings and the creativity that I am able to exercise while playing,” Chisholm said.

“I unfortunately am not able to play soccer for school because of the commitment to my club team, but I am going to run track this spring,” Chisholm said. This will be Chisholm’s first year playing a sport at Menlo, and he is very excited to spend time with his classmates in a different environment. “Soccer has always been my main sport, but I also enjoy track because of the excitement that it brings,” Chisholm said.

Chisholm does not receive sports credit for the soccer he plays outside of Menlo, but he looks forward to receiving credits by exploring another sport. “Because I don’t get credit for [outside of school] soccer, I’ll get my credits through track this year and next year, along with either some weightlifting or yoga next fall,” Chisholm said.

“Even though the stress of balancing soccer, school and another activity may seem daunting to me now, I’m glad I’ll have the opportunity to play a Menlo sport.”

Star Athlete Sophie Jones Joins Soccer Team for First Menlo Season Ever

by SARAH NORUM

Although senior Sophie Jones has been playing soccer for around 14 years and is committed to play Division I soccer at Duke University, this is her first year on any Menlo Upper School soccer team. Jones has been playing soccer since the age of four, and has been on seven different club teams, but most re cently, she played for the San Jose Earthquakes.

In the past, she did not play on a Menlo soccer team because of conflicts with her club soccer commitments. “I didn’t play Menlo soccer earlier because I was going to miss showcases to get re cruited,” Jones said. “After I committed, I was in [Develop ment Academy], so I couldn’t play soccer and then come back and play on my club team.” The Develop ment Academy (DA) is the top-tier youth soccer league within the United States which helps play ers prepare for college-level soccer. It is a general rule that players cannot play both school soccer and DA soccer.

Although she is still in the DA, Jones wanted to

be on the Menlo varsity team for her senior year. “I chose to start playing Menlo soccer this year because everyone on my team was doing it, so we were going to have a really good team to practice with,” Jones said. Jones will play the midfield and forward positions this season. “I am overall excited to win a lot of games, win league, and hopefully do well in CCS this year.”

Her teammates are astonished by her talent and everything she brings to the field. “She’s the anchor to our midfield - she’s the first player that everyone looks for to pass to because once the ball’s at her feet, it opens up so many opportunities for our team,” senior teammate Catie Cassani said. “Sophie is an absolute beast on the field and knows when to take teams on by herself and when to be selfless to help other players succeed as well,” senior teammate Emily Tse said.

Jones brings much more than just her skills to the team. “Off the field, her constant [...] positive energy hypes up the team and has brought us closer together,” Cassani said. “She’s always humble and supportive of all her teammates.”

Students Pursue Unique Winter Sports

by CAROLINE FRANTZ

Due to California’s warm climate and the Bay Area’s distance from snow, Menlo students and other high schoolers in the area tend not to compete in winter sports. No high school near Menlo offer sports that involve snow, and often students that choose to pursue these sports at an elite level will move to Lake Tahoe or another location that gets snow. Despite these challenges, there are still a few Menlo students that do dedicate their time to snow sports.

Freshman Charlotte Palmer wakes up almost every morning at 5:30 a.m. to go to the Ice Oasis in Redwood City. Palmer started skating at age six after taking a class with her mom, who is also a skater. Despite the early wake up, Palmer believes it helps her get ready for the day. “I love ice skating because, even though I always have to wake up super early, it’s refreshing to finish my sport before school and not have to worry about it after,” Palmer said. “[It] also refresh[es] me for the day.”

Palmer believes the early hours are the reason skating isn’t more popular among Menlo students and other students around the Bay Area. “I think it’s not that popular here because you have to wake up very early for practice,” Palmer said. Palmer is on a team that competes at National and World championships every year. This year, she will have the opportunity to compete in France.

For Palmer, the tough mornings and long practices pay off through daily improvements. “The most rewarding part of ice skating is probably when you land a jump or get a spin consistent, because it is the pinnacle that you’ve been working for and shows that your hard work has paid off,” Palmer said.

Another winter sport Menlo students participate in is skiing. Junior Zach Saito is one of these student-athletes. Almost every weekend during the winter, Saito travels to the mountains with his brother and parents

and trains with his competitive ski team.

Though he learned to ski at age three, Saito started competing at age nine. Saito loves the thrill of skiing and being with his

teammates. “[Skiing] kind of came natural to me and being on the mountain with all my friends is awesome,” Saito said. “[My] favorite part of skiing is the stoke of sending it with all [my] buddies.”

Though his favorite place to ski is in Tahoe, Calif., he has had the opportunity to ski abroad as well. “The coolest experience skiing was definitely my trip I took last summer to Argentina,” Saito said. “It was unreal skiing and insane to be exposed to another culture. I also got a lot of great footage with professional photographers and filmers on the trip.”

Saito competes in the International Freeskiers and Snowboarders Association (IFSA) in the North American Circuit. “This year I hope to make it to the world tour in Kappl, Austria to represent the U.S.,” Saito said.

Mastering different “tricks” is the most exciting part of skiing for Saito. “[The] most rewarding part of skiing is the skiing itself and getting stoked with all [my] homies when [I’ve] landed a new trick or stomped a huge line.”

From the Gym to the Sand: Menlo’s New Beach Volleyball Team

by PAGE WOLFENDEN

Starting this year, beach volleyball will be offered as a co-ed club sport to Menlo students in addition to Menlo’s pre-existing varsity indoor girls volleyball team. Although the beach volleyball team will consist of Menlo students, it is not an official team in the Menlo Athletic Department, as the expenses will be covered by participants.

Beach volleyball is a growing sport, joining the Olympics in 1996. It was also recently officially added to the NCAA in 2016. Marco Paglialunga, head coach of the varsity indoor volleyball team at Menlo, will also coach the beach volleyball team. Although this is Menlo’s first year having a club beach volleyball team, many of the players on the Menlo indoor teams have had outside experience in the sport. “Many of our student athletes that played indoor volleyball this past season at Menlo [also] played club beach volleyball in the last years,” Paglialunga said in an email. “Some of them, together with their parents, showed great interest in having the chance to play beach volleyball here at Menlo.”

The team will compete in the Northern California Beach Volleyball League.

Around 60 schools in Northern California are participating in 2019; however, this list is not definite, as schools are continuing to sign up. “[We will] compete from February to May, through head-to-head matches [...] and tournaments in which multiple school clubs will play against each other,” Paglialunga said in an email.

The practice schedule is relatively low-commitment in comparison to Menlo varsity and JV sports. Many students who have decided to play beach volleyball were drawn to it for this reason. “We’ll start practicing in January, [...] [and] we’ll probably have two sessions a week, using the Menlo College beach volleyball court,” Paglialunga said in an email.

Junior Olivia Velten-Lomelin played indoor volleyball at Menlo her freshman and sophomore years. She decided to not

play this year in order to focus on her main extracurricular, mock trial, but she still wanted volleyball to be in her life. “Usually high school sports are really competitive, and I wanted something that was a lot less commitment because I do mock trial, [...] so beach volleyball was the perfect option,” Velten-Lomelin said.

Fellow junior Xander Stabile agrees, with his main priority being club soccer. “I like the low commitment because I am playing club soccer, but at the same time, I thought [beach volleyball] would be a good chance to just hang out with friends and have some fun,” Stabile said.

Players who want a more competitive experience can also achieve that in headto-head matches against other schools. The participating schools will get points from winning matches, and in early May there will be a final competition in Santa Cruz. “[Beach volleyball] will be a great way to show students who never tried volleyball before what a beautiful sport it is and how fun it can be to play it on the sand. It will [also] be a perfect opportunity to provide a service for those student-athletes that fell in love with beach volleyball and want to get better and have more exposure to it,” Paglialunga said in an email.

by CRYSTAL BAI

Committed Corner Committed Corner

Maxwell Patterson, Brown University Emma Brockman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

One of the male athletes featured in this issue’s Committed Corner is senior Maxwell Patterson. In the fall, Patterson will join Brown University’s Division I water polo team.

Patterson has been playing water polo for seven years with the Stanford Water Polo Club. It was upon entering Menlo’s Upper School that he first knew he wanted to continue his water polo career into college.

“A few seniors [during my freshman year] went on to play in college, and they definitely inspired me into wanting to continue playing,” Patterson said. “One of them actually went to Brown, so that was when I was first exposed to their program and became interested.”

The college recruiting process is different for every athlete, but Patterson felt that it went fairly smoothly. “Brown had been my first choice ever since I knew that I wanted to play in college, and once I heard back that they had a spot for me earlier this fall, I knew it was the place I wanted to be,” he said.

“The open curriculum [at Brown University] will allow me to continue pursuing a wide variety of academic topics that I’m interested in,” Patterson said. “Brown also has a very good [water polo] team that is one of the best teams on the East Coast.”

According to the Brown University web-

site, the open curriculum gives students the freedom “to shape their own education and to make their college curricula into a more thorough reflection of their own interests and aspirations.” Brown has no required core curriculum or distribution requirements that students must complete in order to graduate.

“[Patterson] is one of the toughest defenders we’ve had here at Menlo.”

Patterson’s favorite part about water polo is the natural duality of the sport. “It’s a great mix of being a team sport, but also a sport where an individual can have a really big impact on the game at any time,” he said. “I also think it’s cool how [a player] can impact the game in so many different ways.”

Patterson credits his coaches and teammates from both high school and club water polo as being his greatest inspirations. “I have been inspired by older, more experienced players that I have played with at Menlo,” he said. “My coaches have also always pushed me to be the best possible player I can be and have been a big inspiration for me.”

“Maxwell is one of the toughest defenders we’ve had here at Menlo School,” said Upper School boys water polo head coach Jack Bowen. “He’s the kind of player who does what it takes, on behalf of the team, even if his efforts don’t show up in newspaper articles, stats, et cetera. [...] Maxwell contributed so much to the program as both a player and a leader, and I’m so excited and proud to watch him continue to do this at one of the top college programs in the country.”

In the future, Patterson’s biggest water polo goal is to qualify for the NCAA tournament with the Brown Bears.

Mia Rosenblatt, George Washington University

by SARAH NORUM

Senior Mia Rosenblatt has committed to play Division I water polo at George Washington University. Rosenblatt has played on Menlo’s varsity team all four years of high school and took on the role of co-captain for her senior season.

Water polo is a large part of Rosenblatt’s life. For the past six years, she has been a part of the Stanford Water Polo Club. For both Menlo and club water polo, Rosenblatt has played setter, and she plans to continue playing this position at George Washington.

Rosenblatt has always loved all the different components of water polo. “It has aspects of physicality, teamwork and strategy, and all of those combined are super fun,” Rosenblatt said. “It is especially fun when you have a team that you can rely on and that you trust, which is what it was like with the Menlo team.”

Rosenblatt noted that the past four seasons on varsity have been an amazing ex-

perience. “We all bonded outside the pool and were able to bring that closeness into the pool during game time,” Rosenblatt said. “This allowed us to fully trust each other to be able to make moves in the pool that we might not have otherwise, because we knew that our teammates had our backs if we made a mistake.”

Rosenblatt has not always known that she wanted to play Division I water polo in college. “Ever since about my sophomore year, I have known that I have wanted to play in college, even if it was just [on a] club [team],” Rosenblatt said. “However, throughout my junior year, I think that I figured out that I really wanted to play Division I in college as opposed to club, because I realized that I loved water polo so much that I wanted it to be a core part of my college experience.”

Rosenblatt is looking forward to the new experience she will have in college. “I am excited to meet new people, play on a higher level that is more competitive and learn more about the sport,” Rosenblatt said.

by PAGE WOLFENDEN

Senior Emma Brockman committed to row Division I crew and further her academic career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this past October. Brockman started rowing crew her freshman year and currently rows for NorCal Crew in Redwood City.

Even though Menlo does not have a crew team, Brockman rows six days a week for two and a half hours each day with her club team. While her team does not row in the summer, Brockman trains year-round. She competes most weekends in regattas, crew races with other club teams. “In the fall we race 5000 meter races and in the spring we race 2000 meter races. In the spring everyone tends to care more, [...] so it’s a lot of fun and the competition is great,” Brockman said.

Brockman and her teammates usually row in eight-person boats. “We mostly row eights, eight people in the boat plus a coxswain, and some people sit in different places in the boat based on their strengths. That will also move around

a lot as people get better or change their technique,” Brockman said. While it is common for people to have a specific seat in the boat, Brockman does not.

Brockman’s favorite parts about rowing crew are her teammates and the relationships she has made with them over the years. “They keep me going, and they are always super supportive. Rowing is a really hard sport, so we go through a lot together and it makes us super close,” Brockman said.

Brockman has not always known she wanted to row crew at the collegiate level. “I actually went through a phase last year when I thought I didn’t want to row in college, [...] but I tried to imagine not rowing, and I couldn’t imagine it.” Although UNC crew is Division I, division did not matter to Brockman when making her college decision. “Throughout my whole college process, UNC has been my top school, so I didn’t really care about Division I versus Division III because I loved the school and everything that it stood for,” she said.

Kevin Chen, Pomona College

by RYAN YOUNG

Senior wide receiver Kevin Chen committed to play Division III football at Pomona College this past August. Chen has played football at Menlo all four years of high school and has been a member of the varsity team for the past two seasons. Originally, Chen thought he would play basketball in college, but he started to seriously consider football after his sophomore season was over. Former head coach Mark Newton helped Chen see his potential and pushed him to attend various camps and showcases over the summer before his junior year. He was initially interested in Division I football at Ivy League schools, but realized he wanted a more balanced life in college. Chen believes Division III can provide both academic and athletic success, especially at a prestigious college like Pomona.

According to U.S. News, Pomona is a top ranked liberal arts school located in Southern California. Pomona is a competitive Division III school that went 7-4 last year in football. Chen loves Pomona due to its location and the fact that he can stay relatively close to home. He believes Pomona will be similar to Menlo. “It’s academics first, then football second [ . . . ] It’s not as big of a time commitment, so people have time to do other things like internships and study abroad,” Chen said. He hopes to be academically challenged at Pomona while still having time to play football. Currently, he is planning on studying economics, but he thinks that could change.

Some of his favorite memories of Menlo football include time on and off the field with his teammates. He hopes to continue be part of a tight-knit team culture at Pomona.

Chen encourages anyone who wants to play a college sport to work hard during the off-season. “Keep communicating with coaches from schools you’re interested in because the relationship you form with them will contribute to your success in the process,” Chen said.